II-8-5 Capacity Building: Hydraulics & Coastal Engineering in Vietnam within an ICZM frame GerritJanSchiereck (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands) VuMinhCat(Water Resources University (WRU), Hanoi, Vietnam) MarcelStive(Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands) RobbertMisdorp Summary Vietnam has a long coastline including two large river deltas and about 20 smaller estuaries in between. Much of the country is a “coastal zone”. The need for education in coastal issues in Vietnam became evident. Two decades ago a coastal education programme between Vietnam and the Netherlands began. This cooperation resulted amongst other things, in the establishment of a coastal engineering education faculty at BSc- level at the Water Resources University (WRU) in Hanoi in the period 2001 – 2005. Staff members were trained and more than 50 BSc students graduate annually. In the second phase of the cooperation (2005-2009), the focus shifted to research in two fields: sea dikes and estuaries. In the framework of these two fields of applied research: MSc education and research in Hanoi and PhD training in Delft, the Vietnamese knowledge base of coastal engineering and ICZM is strengthened. Continuously increasing the educational level parallel with the strong economic growth is the desire of Vietnamese authorities. This will provide the answers needed to address global change in a sustainable way. The strength of inner dike slopes cannot be tested on a small scale and tests have to be done on real dikes. Realistic overtopping volumes are simulated with a Wave Overtopping Simulator in the same way as is done in the Netherlands. (photo: G.J. Schiereck) Contents 1. Introduction 2. Developments 3. MSc coastal education in Vietnam 4. In Conclusion 5. Websites 116 Climate of Coastal Cooperation Vietnam Coastal dynamics play an important role along the Vietnamese coastline. Here in Nam Dinh, part of the Red River Delta coast, complete villages have disappeared due to coastal erosion. (photo: G.J. Schiereck) Laboratory wave flume: tests to study the reduction of damages of wave overtopping, by Vetiver grass. (photo: H-J.Verhagen) Download the full chapter from our CCC-website: www.coastalcooperation.net 117 .